The American boating week ends with yet another Category 2 hurricane wandering around the Gulf of Mexico and slamming into the Louisiana coastline. Hurricane Delta follows on several other storms of the season. It seems as if Mother Nature's "global warming" is ensuring every resident that borders the Gulf of Mexico is as miserable as possible. It has truly been a difficult summer/ early fall season for our sailing friends in that part of the world, we wish them well and pray they all survive in good shape.Meanwhile, the severely shortened sailing season in Europe is still producing opportunities for the European J/70 sailing leagues to run abbreviated, yet nearly full seasons, to complete their 2020 schedule. In Russia, the Russian J/70 Sailing League was able to reschedule their season to have six events. The fourth regatta just took place in Sevastopol, Crimea for 15 teams. There is no question that having two Black Sea locations at the same relative latitude as the Mediterranean helps the Russian sailing league complete their compressed season.
As for the Russian's Scandinavian neighbors off to the west, they have few alternatives other than scheduling at least one event. Perhaps the saddest, but also the happiest, outcome of the 2020 pandemic sailing season happened to be in Norway. The Norwegian J/70 Sailing League was canceled for the season. However, unlike their counterparts in the J/70 class in other parts of the world (notably the USA), the Norwegians decided to hold an Olympic-inspired doublehanded mixed crew event! Once the announcement went out to sailing clubs and J/70 class members, the event was over-subscribed. Eighteen mixed-gender teams sailed the inaugural Norway Doublehanded J/70 Regatta off Oslo, Norway. Too much fun was had by all!
The other Scandinavian victim of the pandemic was the Finnish J/70 Sailing League. They, too, thought their season would be dashed completely. However, determined to wait until the last possible opportunity to run at least one event; after all, it is the "land of the Midnight Sun". The Finnish sailing league managed to hold one event- their Finnish J/70 Sailing League Championship off Mariehamn (Helsinki) for twelve enthusiastic teams!
Over in central Europe, the Swiss J/70 Sailing League has been able to reschedule their events in compliance with Swiss government pandemic protocols (understandably, some of the most conservative in Europe). Nevertheless, the Swiss are an "island unto itself", and with closed borders, a diligent population, they have been able to run a few events. Their third event took place for eighteen teams over a three-day weekend at Neuchatel, Switzerland. Two more events are scheduled in October/ November on Lago Maggiore.
Perhaps the most exciting, and pioneering, event that saw a massive increase in participants was the Annapolis Yacht Club's Annapolis Doublehanded Offshore Race. Modeled on the format of the prospective 2024 Paris Olympics Mixed-gender Doublehanded Offshore Race medal event, the Annapolis YC held their 92.2nm race for a very competitive one-design fleet of J/105s, and an ORC handicap fleet that included "medal-winning" performances by a J/120, J/35, and J/105.
The venerable New York Yacht Club was determined to host their annual regatta for the 166th edition off Newport, RI. The NYYC Annual Regatta featured great performances from a J/44, J/109, J/111, J/133, and J/121.
Not to be outdone by anyone, the St Petersburg Yacht Club Championship was held on their fleet of J/70s; it was a family affair including the Baird's, Mendelblatt's, the Shakespeare's, and the Hicks'. Read on!
SAILING Champions League Finale Announcement
(Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy)- Next week the grand finale for the SAILING Champions League will be taking place off the magnificent emerald coastline of the Costa Smeralda. Hosting yet again, for the sixth time, will be the iconic Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Again, long-time partners AUDI and the ONE-Ocean Foundation are on board as sponsors.The racing will be broadcasted #LIVE by SailTracks on 17 October from 12:00 PM CEST and on 18 October from 11:00 AM CEST on Facebook.
Thirty-three teams will be participating, including past champions such as YC Costa Smeralda from Italy and Norddeutscher Regatta Verein from Germany. Nineteen countries will be represented, including Austria (2), Czech Republic (1), Denmark (1), Estonia (1), France (1), Germany (9), Italy (2), Lithuania (1), Norway (1), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Russia (1), Slovenia (1), Spain (1), Sweden (3), Switzerland (3), United Kingdom (1), and Ireland (1). For more SAILING Champions League regatta information
Offshore Doubles Association Announcement!
(Newport, RI)- With double-handed sailing making its debut as an Olympic discipline in Paris 2024, this year has seen a record number of entries around the world for double-handed events. To represent the fast-growing DH segment of our sport around the world, a new non-profit sailors association called OFFSHORE DOUBLES has just been formed: www.offshoredoubles.org
This group is for everyone interested in double-handing offshore including couples or friends doing weekend races to Olympic athletes and serious programs globally. The mission is to bring the DH community together and provide an on-ramp for those interested in getting into DH sailing.The call to action is that the World Sailing meetings in two weeks will determine if the Offshore Mixed Doubles Event will continue to be on the slate for Paris 2024.
NOW is the time to show the Olympic committee that DH sailing has broad global support.
PLEASE JOIN TODAY (at no charge) at www.offshoredoubles.org and spread the word to J/Sailors in your area.
German J/70 League Finale Preview
(Hamburg, Germany)- Who will be the Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga Champion for 2020 in the season-ending showdown on the Alster Lake in Hamburg, Germany, hosted by the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein? Eighteen teams will be vying for the coveted title in the matched fleet of a dozen J/70s on the fun, but tricky wind conditions in the downtown lake.Looking to defend their current league leading position will be the Hamburg hosts- NDRV. The newcomers on the ONE Kiel Team are in second place, followed by the Hemelingen Water Sports Club in third.
For the first time in eight years, the NDRV at the top of the leaderboard have not yet won a regatta all season. But, thanks to their consistently good placements, they are close to their fifth championship title in eight years of participating in the German Sailing League.
Perhaps most impressive is the rapid ascent of the newcomers from the ONE Kiel Team. They have already celebrated two regatta wins this season and are only in second place because of one outlier (e.g. a "down the mine shaft performance"); with a 15th place finish in the third regatta. Like their NDRV colleagues, the overall title is within reach - an exciting season finale seems guaranteed between these two protagonists!
On Friday and Saturday, the races will be broadcast live on Facebook, YouTube and Sportdeutschland.TV from 12:00 p.m. Central European time. Sailing Photo credits: DSBL / Lars Wehrmann For more Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga sailing regatta information
J/Gear HOLIDAY 20% OFF Specials!
(Newport, RI)- Believe it or not, it is just about time to get into the holiday spirit of things. The year-end is fast approaching and now is as good a time as any to give some thoughts to your holiday shopping for your crew, family, and friends.We are offering a 20% discount on all orders excluding the following: J/Models, J/Prints and J/Calendars.
The discount code is- JB2020XS. It will be effective October 1st through November 28th, 2020.
Attention J/Boat owners- because of the demand for customization, we encourage "early ordering" in an effort to meet holiday gift dates.
NOTE- The J/Class logo of your choice can embroidered on the front. We can also customize with your detail. Perfect for the whole crew! For more information and to buy now.
Sailing Calendar
Oct 10-11- J/Fest Southwest- Lakewood, TXOct 17- Rolex Middle Sea Race- Gzira, Malta
Oct 24- Witches Brew Race- Charleston, SC
Nov. 1- Hot Rum Series I- San Diego, CA
Nov. 14- Around the Island Race- Hong Kong, China
Nov. 21- Hot Rum Series II- San Diego, CA
Smyth/Persson Crowned Annapolis Double-Handed Distance Race Champions!
(Annapolis, MD)- The second annual Double-Handed Distance Race on October 3rd and 4th attracted thirty-seven teams from across the USA, more than doubling the number of teams from the inaugural year in Annapolis, MD.Inspired by the new Mixed Two-Person Offshore Keelboat Olympic event announced a year and a half ago, Annapolis Yacht Club committed to offering events to support shorthanded sailing.
The 24-hour, 92.2nm course on Chesapeake Bay provided a varied test for the fleet. There were seventeen mixed-gender teams, the vast majority of them were the eleven-boat J/105 one-design class.
The RC set a course which took the fleet north of the Bay Bridge to a mark off the entrance to Baltimore Harbor and then south down the bay to a mark just north of the Power Plant.....early going was light and fickle with a strong ebb making just getting past the Bay Bridge a full tilt adventure in itself. The reward both for the sailors and this photographer was the spectacular sunset and sunrise punctuated by a just past full moon.
Randy Smyth and Christina Persson topped the J/105 class sailing WIPFLY/ BAT IV. Congratulations to them on a race well-sailed! Randy is a 2x silver medalist in the Tornado at the 1984 and 1992 games, was a sailor in the 1988 America's Cup, and was recently inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2017.
Christina is an accomplished Laser and F-18 sailor but found her true love in the Nacra 17 which led her to joining the US Sailing Team in 2018.
Randy is Christina’s seasoned Olympic coach, but the two discovered they love sailing together and gave the double-handed distance discipline a shot. They secured their win with an impressive lead.
Taking second in the J/105s was the duo of Fred Salvesen & Molly Wilmer on MIRAGE, third was Patrick Gavin-Byrnes & Cole Brauer on BETTER MOUSETRAP. Rounding out the top five were Christina & Justin Wolfe on FIREBRAND in 4th and Will Bomar & Bri Grenier on PEREGRINE in 5th position.
Sailing in the ORC Handicap classes were seven J/Teams. Not surprisingly, taking the silver in ORC 1 Class was Richard Born & Guillaume Seynhave on the very well-known offshore winner, the J/120 WINDBORN. Born has won class in the Annapolis to Newport Race as well as the Bermuda Race, a very experienced offshore race he is!
Similarly, taking silver in the fourteen-boat ORC 2 Class was Roger Lant & Mike Wellins' J/35 ABIENTOT, followed by Arthur & AJ Libby's J/105 DOGHOUSE securing the bronze.
Annapolis YC PRO Dick Neville is to be commended for tailoring the race course to the difficult, changing weather conditions as forecasted just before start. Good fun was had by all! Sailing photo credits- Will Keyworth. For more AYC Double-handed Distance Race sailing information
ZID ART Team Wins Russian J/70 Sailing League- Act IV
(Sevastopol, Crimea)- Traditionally, Russia's National Sailing League competitions in their swiftly growing fleet of J/70s (now 36 in three locations!) consist of six stages, including the Grand Finale generally held in Sochi, Russia on the Black Sea. However, like just about everyone else around the world, the 2020 season was heavily affected by the pandemic. The regatta schedule was adjusted to the same number of events but compressed into just three months and just two locations- Sevastopol, Crimea and Abrau-Durso, Russia. Both are southern locations on the Black Sea and, generally, have comfortable weather and sailing conditions, even in the late fall season. Here is the report from Act IV held in Sevastopol.
Day 1- Light and shifty
Fifteen teams from different regions of Russia are participating on the spectacular waters of Sevastopol Bay; including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Tuapse, Grozny and, of course, Sevastopol.
The first day of racing did not begin until noon, as the wind in the water area was constantly shifting and oscillating in pressure. However, the race committee still managed to start ten races during the afternoon.
“We waited for the wind until half past twelve,” said Chief Judge Anna Deyanova. "By the end of the day, the wind increased in gusts to 12 knots. In the morning, a west wind was blowing, but in the evening, it shifted into the east."
From the first races, the Moscow ZID art Sailing team took the lead. The ZID ART Sailing Team skippered by Zoran Paunovic scored only 11 points in six races, winning three of them.
“We were worried, because this is not really our weather,” said Zoran Paunovic. "We have a very well-coordinated team, we have been working together for a long time, and today we just waited for our moment."
“Master of the Sail-ASIA” was just three points behind, which had only five races. The crew of Sergei Musikhin celebrated only one victory for the day.
“At this stage, there are just three very competitive teams racing,” says Sergei Musikhin. "We are just adapting to this situation. The shifty wind only adds to the difficulty!"
Another contender for the medals was Kirill Frolov's Bronenosec crew from St. Petersburg. The team from the northern capital managed to score 16 points in six races, including three victories.
The closest pursuer of the virtual medalists was Moscow's X-FIT. At this stage, Boris Kucherenko is at the helm of the team. The team is separated from the third position by only 6 points. The top five is rounded out by the Academy of Sailing of the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg. The crew, led by skipper Anna Basalkina, scored 27 points in seven starts.
Day 2
Contrary to all forecasts, the wind died by noon, but then filled back in with a gentle sea breeze. The racing committee managed to get 12 more starts, so the regatta had 22 races completed.
“The day was very productive, we used all the time allotted for the races," said Chief Judge Deyanova. "A distinctive feature of today was the parade of Russian Navy ships. We have never seen such a number of huge ships crossing our fleet! The people on the beach were also happy to see the show."
For Saturday's racing, the ZID ART Sailing team broke away from their rivals by a crushing number of points - 21 pts total. Zoran Paunovich's team never finished below third place in seven races.
Nevertheless, a new slate of teams was able to adapt to the variable conditions on Sevastopol Bay, some gained significantly, while the previous day's leaders tumbled down the ladder.
The St. Petersburg team, led by Anna Basalkina, gathered strength. Having started the second racing day with a victory, the “Academy of Sailing of the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg” confidently finished the day in second place overall.
“It cannot be said that the sea conditions are strong, as the wind often came from the shore, so it was not easy,” said Anna Basalkina. "At this stage, we have an updated line-up for our team. The races are very tight, it's tough sailing! ZID art gives no mercy to anyone, but everything will be decided for us in the last races."
Two teams are fighting for the third step on the podium; Akhmat and Calipso sailing teams. The national team of the Chechen Republic, the AKHMAT Sailing Club, had a new crew under the leadership of Christian Chech. They got accustomed to the sailing conditions and rallied fast, climbing five places after fourteen races! They are racing neck-in-neck with the team from Tuapse; Maxim Taranov's CALIPSO crew, they also adapted to the conditions, taking first three times!
Day 3
On the final day of racing, the Crimean wind again was unstable in the first half of the day. The sailors had to wait for more than an hour for the wind to become steady enough to resume the races. Again, the race committee managed to get 8 more good races in to complete the regatta; 30 races in three days, and each team had 18 races to count!
“In the morning, the wind was blowing along the bay, its direction was completely incomprehensible,” said Chief Judge Deyanova. "In the afternoon we got a great wind from a completely opposite direction, which gave us tight starts and interesting finishes. Thanks to Sevastopol for these great conditions!"
Sunday's races helped some teams catch up with their rivals and rectify the situation for the past two racing days.
After a hard start, the 2019 League champion AKHMAT Sailing Club was still able to climb several positions. The new crew from the Chechen Republic, skippered by Christian Cech, did not quite reach the podium, just eight points shy, but enough to take fourth place.
The Sailing Academy of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club managed to garner the bronze medal. Anna Basalkina's crew, replenished with new members, was able to climb onto the podium with steady sailing.
“We are glad to have the bronze medal, because we were still fighting for second position,” said Anna Basalkina. "We had serious shortcomings; it was hard to fight through them. This weekend did not go as I expected. We will arrive at the next stronger, for sure! I hope it will be easier for us."
This event was hard for the CALIPSO team from Tuapse, which tried to adapt to the difficult waters of Sevastopol Bay on Friday. Then, on Saturday, their team gathered strength and earned six victories in two racing days. As a result, the elated and relieved CALIPSO team took home the silver medal.
“In the last race, we had to finish no lower than fifth place," said Maxim Taranov. "Starting the last downwind leg, we were sixth, everywhere we went, we got into difficulties. On the last run, the smart ones went to the right, the other ones to the left, and we stayed in the middle. We chose our path, and it turned out to be the correct one! We arrived first to the weather mark, then finished first, and dashed Anna Basalkina's hopes for second place. Thankfully, Lady Fortune smiled on us!"
There was no equal in Sevastopol to the ZID ART Sailing team. From the very first day, the Moscow team began to break away from their rivals. By the end of the third racing day, the gap between first and second place was 20 points. With seven victories to their credit, Zoran Paunovic's crew won the gold in the Upper Division for the first time.
“This is my first win in the Premier League. Of course, I am very happy," said Paunovich. "Standing on the stage, I recalled our victory here last year in the Sevastopol International Cup. By comparison, I don't know when it was more difficult, then or now. This time I was more worried, as we are a heavy team, and the forecast did not promise a strong wind. As a result, we have shown that it's not in vain that we have been sailing with such a line-up. The crew understands each other perfectly."
Thanks must go to the following supporters of the Russian National J/70 Sailing League:
- the Government of Sevastopol
- the Sailing Federation of Sevastopol
- Gazprom AG
- Nord Stream AG with the Nord Stream Race project
- the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping
- the federal network of X-FIT fitness clubs.
- communications: Down-the-line.com, Ocean TV, Yachting magazine.
Herud/ Kolstand Duo Triumph @ Norway J/70 Doublehanded Regatta
(Oslo, Norway)- If there was a sailing league that truly got "deep-sixed" by a combination of the pandemic and the Covid-19 "social guidelines", it had to be the Norwegian J/70 Sailing League. Comprised of at least a dozen clubs, sailing their six J/70s, the league has seen most excellent competition amongst the clubs. This year, the anticipation and expectations, sadly, were all but eviscerated with a complete cancellation of the 2020 sailing league season. Despite that fact, it did not dampen the spirit and enthusiasm for Norwegian sailors to get on the water once the "lockdowns" were reduced or eliminated.One idea that "flew" with the government regulators was a "double-handed" J/70 sailing regatta. It met all of the strict limitations, so it recently took place in Ulabrand, near Oslo, Norway in the fleet of a half-dozen J/70s! Enthusiasm was strong for the event and when the announcement went out, it was quickly over-subscribed, with a number of teams relegated to being spectators to cheer on their friends. In total, a dozen teams sailed on Saturday as a qualifier, with Sunday being the final for the top six teams.
It was a fantastic weekend for sailing. After two days of lots of great sailing, the worthy winners were Celine Herud and Thomas Kolstad from Royal Norwegian Sailforening. It was a super exciting finale that was not decided before the last boat crossed the finish line. You can't get a more exciting finish!
Thanks to everyone who helped create a great, spontaneous event around the new concept- J/70 Double-handed Mixed Racing. There is definitely going to be more of it; especially since it's a proposed Paris 2024 Olympics Mixed Double-handed Offshore medal event!
Finally, a big "Thank You" to those who made this event possible: Kongelig Norsk Seilforening, Grundig Sailing Cup and Norsk Seilsportsliga / SailLogic. We need to do more of this!! Fun to work with so many talented people! Sailing photo credits: Thomas Nilsson / SailLogic For more Norway J/70 Doublehanded Regatta sailing information
Esbo Segelförening Wins Finnish J/70 Sailing League 2020
(Mariehamn, Finland)- Of all the sailing leagues in Europe, perhaps it was the Scandinavian countries that were affected the most by the effects of the pandemic and the "social distancing" guidelines issued by their respective countries. With the most "open", and no doubt riskiest, policies, only Sweden managed to sail more than two events. In the case of Finland, their league managers could only pull off a single event before the rising and setting sun all but disappeared in regions of the Arctic Circle! Nevertheless, the dozen teams from across Finland enjoyed an exhausting twenty races over two days.
Fast out-of-the-blocks was Esbo Segelförening (ESF) winning five of their first nine races on the first day! They were never challenged after that opening gambit, handling winning the event despite averaging 4.5 pts in their last four races. As a result, ESF was declared champion of the Finnish Sailing League 2020.
"We’re feeling great. We’ve been training for this for a couple of years on the J/70, and this year we managed to sail much more consistent races”, said ESF skipper Lucas Karlemo. His crew consisted of Victor Mesterton, Anton Eklund, and Emil Lindblom.
The silver medals were awarded to the regatta host Åländska Segelsällskapet (ÅSS 1), their team consisted of skipper Daniel Mattsson, Mathias Dahlman, Staffan Lindberg, and Jasper Karlsson. Amazingly, despite 15 podium finishes out of 20 races, they still could not close the gap on ESF!
Earning the bronze medal in a very tightly fought battle was Brändö Seglare (BS 2). It was not until the final race that skipper Ville Korhonen and his crew of Edi Bremer, Tusse Tallberg, and Jari Bremer overcame the strong challenge from the team sailing for Nylandska Jaktklubben; only beating them by one point! Sailing Photo credits: Pepe Korteniemi / Suomen Purjehdusliiga 2020 For more Finnish J/70 Sailing League regatta information
Swiss J/70 Sailing League Act IV Challenge Finale
(Neuchatel, Switzerland)- From October 2nd to 4th, club teams from all over Switzerland participated in the Swiss Sailing League Challenger Finale. The teams made it exciting, with practically every race being won by a different team. The three-day event ended with strong winds from the west; making for an exciting, fast & furious final day of sailing. The Cercle de la Voile de Neuchatel was host for the event and provided excellent, professional race management all weekend-long.In the end, the Club Nautique de Pully (CNP) with Kilian Wagen (2020 Swiss Olympic 470 Champions), Louise and Anne-Sophie Thilo, Leo Totaz, and Romain Herzog sailed excellently and secured the undisputed victory in Act IV off Neuchatel.
As a result, CNP was able to move up to second in the Challenge Series. Meanwhile, Club Nautique de Versoix (CNV) placed 2nd, thus securing overall victory in the Swiss Sailing Challenge League 2020. The team with helmsman Romain Defferrard, Victor Casas Benjamin Delaloye, Benoit Leuenberger, Romuald Hausser and Nelson Mettraux sailed consistently, tactically clever, and controlled every race. Surprising some teams was the Yacht Club Luzem (YCL); they competed confidently and doggedly for every meter on the last day to take third place. The outcome of Act IV and the overall series assured that Club Nautique de Pully, Club Nautique de Versoix, and Yacht Club Luzem will be elevated to the Swiss Super League series for 2021.
There are two more events to go to close out the 2020 Swiss Sailing League season:
- Oct 7-10- Swiss Super League Finale- Ascona, Lago Maggiore
- Oct 15-18- Swiss Sailing League Women's Cup- Ascona, Lago Maggiore
J/Crews Sweep New York YC Annual Regatta
(Newport, RI)- Ultimately, North America's oldest annual regatta featured three great days of racing including the separately scored Around-the-Island Race on Friday, October 2. Competition took place in ORC/ PHRF handicap classes and the focus of this year's event was getting back on the water and sailing.Attracting nearly 100 Boats, New York Yacht Club Commodore William P. Ketcham (Greenwich, Conn.) was committed to running the 166th edition. “That is why we kept delaying the event rather than canceling it outright. It was a challenge, but we finally got to a point where we could run it based on Rhode Island’s COVID-19 guidelines and our own Club policies on safety. The enthusiasm on the water, both this weekend and at last weekend’s Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, was tremendous. Our team on MAXINE packed basically our entire sailing season into two weeks, and we couldn’t have had more fun.”
With 11 points in four races, Ketcham’s J/44 MAXINE placed second in ORC 3. At the head of the class was Tom Sutton’s J/109 LEADING. While Sutton hails from Houston, Texas, where he lives and sails in the cooler months, Newport has become a second home.
With most multi-day sailing regattas in 2020 were canceled, the LEADING EDGE team cobbled together a summer of weeknight and one-day races in and around Narragansett Bay.
“We raced every race on Tuesday night and did the weekend regattas,” says Sutton. “We went to Block Island with the Twenty Hundred Club, we raced around Prudence Island two times, Conanicut Island four or five times. We’ve gotten in more sailboat racing than in most years. But we miss racing around the buoys. That’s what we really like.”
All that time on the water paid off this weekend with wins in the Around the Island Race on October 2 as well as the Annual Regatta around the buoys. Sutton was quick to share the credit, singling out his wife Diana for her work off the water and on the foredeck and the team’s tactical brain trust of Tom Meeh and Alex Crowell.
“My guys work as hard or harder than anybody,” says Tom Sutton. “We’ve sailed together since 2014 and everybody a great time this year. We’re all looking forward to coming back next summer.”
As it turns out, J/Teams lead a sweep of the top five in ORC 3 Class. Third step on the podium went to Ken Luczynski's J/44 VAMP, fourth to John & Sue Sutherland's 19th NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, and fifth place to Bill Kneller's J/109 VENTO SOLARE. Job well done to all!
Winning PHRF 1 Class was Bob Manchester's J/133 VAMOOSE, followed by Joe Brito's J/121 INCOGNITO in fourth place.
In past years, the Annual Regatta would signal the start of the Newport sailing season, with competitors looking forward to Race Weeks in Newport or Block Island, or a long thrash to Bermuda. This year, however, it closed out the racing season.
The summer of 2020 wasn’t what anyone expected, but those fortunate enough to participate in the 166th Annual Regatta will head into winter with fresh memories of competition and camaraderie. The 167th edition of the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta is scheduled for June 11 to 13, 2021.Sailing photo credits- NYYC/ Rolex/ Daniel Forster. For more New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni, and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
-----------* J/Net Brokerage Specials! Check out our exciting new site for lovingly-owned J/Boats from around the world here: https://jnet.jboats.com/
Beautifully maintained, immaculate J/120 cruiser for sale. Price reduced and seller will entertain a smaller J/Boat - J105, J/80 or J/70 in trade. CIELO is a cruise/race version shoal draft 5'11", with carbon mast, and cruise-equipped that has had only 2 owners since new. The current owner purchased CIELO in May of 2012 and was on Lake Norman NC until August of 2017. CIELO was then trucked to Deltaville, VA to start the cruise that took it to the Bahamas and then back to the Chesapeake via the intracoastal waterway from West Palm Beach to Annapolis. CIELO has extensive upgrades and is great condition. She is on the hard in Annapolis, winterized, and ready to show. More J/120 cruiser information and extensive photos here.
* The Great Baird Family Truckster rolls along! What does a J/24 World Champion, National Sailing Hall of Famer, and America's Cup Champion do for a home-rule yacht club championship? Crew as bowman/ big-wave-blocker on a J/70? Yikes. Scary movies, for sure! You can hear it now, "so Dad, can you get the damn chute down....like now!?"
Well, that is exactly what Ed Baird did this past weekend at the St Petersburg YC Sailing Championship. Yes, indeed. Ed crewed for his son Nic Baird and cockpit uber-Goddess Isabelle Rossi de Leon. To be sure, the trio is not lacking for credentials in the sailing world. Aside from Dad Ed, son Nic was a College Sailor of the Year and Isabelle was a Yale Sailing Team College All-American. Not exactly a bunch of hacks. Not sure what their StPYC Club Champ competitors expected, but certainly they were the dominant team, taking four bullets in five races.
Ironically, there were a few more College Sailing All-Americans that finished second, taking three deuces in the first three races, but finally getting their act together and winning the finale to punctuate a fun day of racing and throw down the gauntlet to the Baird family "truckster" they may not get away with another runaway win the next time around! That crew included David Mendelblatt, Bill Icely, and Chad & Emma Shakespeare. Rounding out the family theme for the event was the third place crew; skippered by Matt Braun, with crew of Trevor & Heidi Hicks, and Paul Danielson. For more St Petersburg YC Club Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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From the very first May in 2006, we took her with us everywhere, and she was on a boat sailing before she was 4 months old. She did a lot of sailing on our friends, Derek and Monica Carrol’s 35ft sailboat, they had a one year old and a pack'n'play. We would put both kids in the pack'n'play and go sailing and they would roll around and have a blast. As Jenna got older, we just kept bringing her with us. By 2 years old, she was sailing on the J/22 as crew. Well… as a distraction, ha! We would race and she would go down in the v-berth and play. I recall one particular windy day and I think Jenna might have been 3 or 4 years old and Jennifer and I were doublehanding the boat. Because it was windy and wavy, we kept her in the cockpit with us. Whenever she would get a little worried, we would get splashed with a wave and she would just giggle. We got to the weather mark and just told her to sit on the cockpit floor north of the traveler as Jennifer and I got the spinnaker up and going. Still one of our fondest memories!
* Eight Bells: Bill Alcott